DANIEL Ting missed the rough and tumble of professional football and there could be no better way to mark his return than with newly-promoted Malaysian Super League club Kuala Lumpur City.
Two years away from the grind has whetted 28-year-old Daniel’s appetite to resume playing in Malaysia, where the naturalised defender made his debut in 2016 after moving from England, where he was born and raised.
However, after playing 57 matches for Negeri Sembilan, Johor Darul Ta’zim II dan PKNS, Daniel decided to take a break from football at the conclusion of the 2018 season.
“I think I took football a little for granted and I felt I needed to step away from it,” said Daniel, who can play as a left-back and centre-back. “I went to Australia where my partner lives and played a lot of futsal. I also played five-a-side football with a good team in Cairns.
“I definitely missed football, training everyday with your mates. I missed the competitiveness of games because I can’t help but take it seriously, I want to win. I miss being part of a team and to play with my friends. The part where we hope to reach the same goals and trying to get better.
“But I always had it in the back of my mind potentially I might want to play again. I don’t regret my decision to take some time away, I think it’s been good and coming back now I feel I’m in a really different place physically, mentally and emotionally.”
The chance to rejoin mainstream football was too good to pass up when Kuala Lumpur came calling with a project Daniel wanted to be a part of, as he seeks to add to his 17 Super League appearances for PKNS in 2018.
“I kept in contact with a few people and always discussed it,” said Daniel of the prospect of returning to Malaysia. “I might have come back a little earlier in 2020 but wasn’t able to. In the end it was a combination of talking to people and I’m not quite sure which came first.
“After talking things through, I was made to feel appreciated by KL and that I would be an integral part of the team. I found it to be a project I could be a part of. It’s a club that wants to move forward in a right way and I want to be a part of it.”
Daniel found more than just a few familiar faces when he started training with KL, having lined up alongside Safee Sali, Nik Shahrul Azim Halim and Fauzan Fauzi previously.
“I did play with Safee at PKNS,” said Daniel, who was once sent off when JDT II played Kuala Lumpur in the last Premier League game of 2017.
“He’s obviously well-known and as soon as he comes on to the pitch you can always see a sign of respect for him. It’s good to play alongside Safee and if you need any sort of guidance you can always go to him. He’s experienced it all.”
For now, Daniel is focused on the coming season and getting involved in the day-to-day grind of professional football before giving more thought as to where his future lay.
“I would carry on playing until I can’t physically,” he said. “Right now, my focus is on this year and to get back into playing full-time football. I want to get a full season under my belt and see how things go.”
Ends